The Greater Instinct
by Arlia'Devi
Summary: It was supposed to be an easy trip, but when things go from bad to worse, InuYasha and Kagome realise they may just be in over their heads. "Oh," Kagome looked into hot red eyes. "Did you lose your sword?" Under reconstruction.
1. Part 1

**The Greater Instinct**

By Arlia'Devi

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha at all. All rights go to Rumiko Takahashi and associates. I make no money from this.

A/N: this story is rated **M** and contains high blood, violence, sexual themes and language.

This will probably be the last InuYasha story I write; recently I haven't been all that motivated, but have been reading a lot of great stories so I thought, hell, one more shot. I've read a good few stories within this idea; but I added my own little _twists_…

**The Greater Instinct**

By Arlia'Devi

InuYasha's hands ran through his hair, skimming over his flattened ears and he took a deep breath, huddled in a corner of a dark and cold cave. The fire did little to alleviate how uncomfortable it was, but slowly, the cave was becoming a little more accommodating. He sat by the fire, in nothing but his _hakama_. His _kosode_ was in bloody tatters and it would be a bit of a pain to purchase a new one. He didn't have any money, and nor did the rest of his group. His haori – the fire rat robe, would never get destroyed but at the moment, it was providing modesty for a woman resting on a bed of reeds and leaves. He didn't even have the assurance of his sword, another idea confirming the worst had happened last night. InuYasha sighed and stared into the glowing embers while Kagome slept on the other side. With his claws still smelling of blood, he wondered how this could have possibly happened.

_What a fucking horrible day…_

* * *

><p><em>Twelve hours prior.<em>

It was mid-morning when Kaede had asked Kagome if she and InuYasha would mind heading out to a neighbouring village to collect a bunch of rare herbs she had ordered. She had said she didn't mind, as the herbs would be used to help with a woman who was having a hard time with her pregnancy, having only ever experienced miscarriages and stillborns. Kagome had been willing, InuYasha, however, was a different matter.

"Walk for a whole day just to pick up your shit?" he snarled and vehemently refused. "No way, old hag."

"InuYasha," Kagome sighed and the hanyou didn't like her whining tone. "It would be a great lot of help."

"I told you, I ain't going."

Kagome sighed and he thought that would be the end of it; because, of course, they were both asked to go and one wouldn't go without the other, would they? "Well," hummed Kagome. "I suppose it's just me going then."

"What?" InuYasha reeled. "Wench, you can't hold your own out there! You'd be shredded faster than you could cry for help."

Kagome shrugged a little and said, "That may be true, but I've gotten stronger. I can shoot an arrow pretty well now and even you said that my miko powers are stronger than before. I think I'll be fine for once without you, InuYasha… I'd consider taking Sango with me, but I have a suspicion she's got more things on her mind than wandering over Japan again."

InuYasha didn't know what Kagome meant by that, nor did he want to know. Things had been a little more than awkward since they'd arrived back at the village two-weeks earlier from Naraku's final demise and Sango and Miroku had gotten married. Sometimes it was hard to believe that it had only been two weeks since that bastard's demise. Kikyou had died a little while before that, and that had been hard for him to accept, the idea that he couldn't do anything to help his ex-lover, to protect her in anyway. Naraku wanted Kikyou, and in the end, he got her. That had saddened the hanyou for a long time after her death, feeling like he was useless and clammed up harder than he had before. It had been hard for Kagome to watch, but she didn't understand how he was feeling, well… that's what he had thought.

Kagome had come to him in the twilight hours, he was sitting in a tree on a calm, cool night and she had pulled a knitted jumper over, but her bare legs remained peeking out of that short little skirt. She'd called up to him, and he'd rolled his eyes down to acknowledge her. Kagome asked him to come down and reluctantly, he slithered down the branches and the trunk, not speaking all the way.

When he stood in front of her, his eyes averted to something interest to the side; perhaps a bunch of berries he may eat later, or a rabbit he could have hunted, Kagome sought out his haori-hidden hand and squeezed it softly. "I understand," she whispered softly before pressing her lips against his cheek.

For a moment, he was apprehensive. How could _she_ ever understand what he was going through? He had failed to protect someone he loved; albiet, he hadn't loved Kikyou in that way for a long time, but she was a friend, a beautiful woman who he swore to protect. InuYasha was hurt that Kikyou had suffered, and then, he really did understand. Kagome was in anguish because InuYasha was hurting, because he'd failed to protect Kikyou, and she had suffered. His natural reaction was to clam up, and he knew Kagome understood that. Releasing his hand after another small squeeze, Kagome smiled at the hanyou. His cheek tingled from where her lips had marked. With a voice he didn't instantly recognise as his own, InuYasha muttered, "Thank you."

That had been three months ago, and that was all it had been. Sure, he'd kissed Kagome once, or more or less, she'd kissed him – but he barely remembered it on account of the whole spell-full-demon business and that left a bitter taste on his tongue.

Still, there was the problem with the jewel and it was on Kagome's being at all times until they decided how to get rid of the danmed thing. "Listen, Kagome," InuYasha sighed, getting back to the matter at hand. "You ain't strong enough to go out without help. Not with that goddamned jewel strung around your neck."

"Are you saying you'll come with me, InuYasha?" a hopeful glint sparked in her eyes and the hanyou knew she'd just been baiting him all along.

"Your making it hard for me _not_ to go now aren't you?" he grumbled and Kaede was happy, telling directions to the village and inking down the name of the merchant she had purchased the herbs off.

Setting out after breakfast, it was clear that InuYasha was not at all happy with their little impromptu adventure and he made a show of it too; sticking his hands in his pockets, then his sleeves and walking slowly. Had he been in his right mind, he would have hitched her onto his back and covered the distance in half the time, but he didn't _feel_ like it. And that didn't annoy Kagome, much to his aggravation, who was quite contented in strolling along the morning path, smelling the fresh air and listening to the birds in the trees. Of course the wench would be contented in meaningless, wimpy things like that; happy to stroll and take their time as if it was a holiday.

What exactly was she so cheery about? Oh right, yeah, Naraku. He was dead and she could continue on with her life now; go back to school and study for those exams she so complained about; be with her family in her time: her brother, grandfather and mother. That was what she was probably so cheery about.

Still, he couldn't help his mind to wander. What did _he_ do now? What, did he linger around Edo and attempt to domesticate himself? Did he annoy the _baba_ until the end of her days? Did he hang around with Miroku and Sango and thump Shippou on the head every now and then; like it had been before, except now in a static place – a place he was supposed to call home after the campaign. He wondered if Kagome would come back; if she would visit him regularly and if those visits, as they drifted apart, would become shorter and haphazardly spaced. What if Kagome lost interest; getting caught up in her world back home to think of him? Sure, her world was fast and he could see how it was so interesting. Would that really happen? Would Kagome just abandon him?

"InuYasha," her voice snapped him out of his reverie. She looked at him with a slight frown. "Keep up. Geez. We won't even make it to the village by sundown with your loitering."

He shrugged, said nothing and picked up the pace a little, still very much lagging behind.

InuYasha knew Kagome had a suitor in the modern era – she'd told him about the guy named Hoko… Joho… Hojo? Whatever – who would give her treatments for the bogus ailments her grandfather passed off her. He didn't understand how one guy could want Kagome so much when he knew how sickly she was, though it was very much untrue. Would she consider his plights for her affection? Probably. Hell, even the mangy wolf had a better shot at her than he did. He wanted Kagome to stay; he wanted to see her more and for this not to be just some distant memory in the rest of his long life, but he didn't know what to say. How did you tell someone feelings? They just got choked up in his mouth like he'd swallowed something too big to eat, like a large boulder or something. It was miserable and pathetic and he knew it all, but still couldn't stop feeling how he was feeling.

Kagome stopped again then, so much so that InuYasha almost ran into her body as she swivelled and addressed the stumbling hanyou. She knew he was thinking; he didn't shove his hands in his sleeves and look up to the sky, as if an answer would pour out of the heavens for nothing. "What are you thinking about?"

Caught out, InuYasha dropped his gaze and muttered, "Nothin'."

"You're sulking, aren't you?" she crossed her arm over her chest and regarded him seriously. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he replied a little more forcefully and pushed past her, stalking ahead. "Can we just hurry this up? I want to get to this stinking village by nightfall."

"Fine," Kagome huffed, "But you were the one lagging behind, not me."

"Whatever."

* * *

><p>It was a little before nightfall when the two wandered into the village – there was a stunning sunset setting over the buildings and tall bordering fence. A few people crept out of their huts to notice the strange individuals walking in – a hanyou and a miko; and the hanyou walked a few steps in front of the miko as she addressed the headman. The headman recognised the name Kaede and the village of Edo, and announcing that the miko would have travelled a long way, offered her and her… err… companion, refuge in his house for the night. Tomorrow, she could collect the herbs from the merchant tomorrow, but for tonight, she should recover from her long trip.<p>

At first, the maids in the headman's house weren't keen on letting the hanyou and the priestess share a room, though she was adamant. Was she a dark priestess, bedding the filthy hanyou, lying and deceitful? When the headman came to investigate the ruckus, Kagome explained that InuYasha was her, well, her slave – which the hanyou wasn't too appreciative of, and that she needed to keep a close eye on him because he was very dangerous.

"How can we be sure you can mind him properly – what if he tries to kill you in your sleep?" muttered the headman.

"I have collared him," replied Kagome and heard a small growl from around the direction InuYasha was standing. "I only have to utter one word and he is paralysed."

The headman didn't seem so convinced and asked for Kagome to say the word and put his mind at ease. Leading a, by this point, very pissed off InuYasha to a courtyard, she muttered for him to sit and he yelped when he hit the tiles. Very impressed, the headman and the maids around also called the subjugation spell, feeling a little elated over their sudden dominance over the hanyou. Letting the spell wear off, InuYasha slowly peeled his body off the ground and stalked back inside, his eyes hard and his body rigid. A pang of guilt struck Kagome's heart – he must have felt so betrayed and humiliated. The headman called for him to sit as he left the courtyard.

Laughing awkwardly at the village people who called sit commands after the hanyou in taunting, Kagome murmured, "It only works when I… um… say it. Can you stop doing that please? You're insulting him."

"He's just a hanyou, my lady," chuckled the headman. "He doesn't have feelings."

_Yes, he does_! Kagome went to bite out, but held her tongue. She needed to be civil to this man, or be labelled a dark priestess, or a youkai whore, and be tossed out the village sans the expensive herbs. Biding the maids and headman goodnight, she walked back to her quarters where she hoped InuYasha would be. He was, and arms folded, leaning in a corner, he refused to look at her.

"Sorry," she said sincerely and sat down in front of him. "Sorry, InuYasha."

He didn't look at her. She didn't need to be a genius his pride had been hurt during that little show, how necessary it might have been. She just wanted to hug him, though that action would only make it worse. "Say something, please?"

He grunted and hoped that counted as saying something, shifting slightly against the wall. But when he smelt something welling up in her eyes, he knew grunting hadn't worked and he'd have to say something. Sighing, he said, "It ain't your fault how this fucked up world works, Kagome." She nodded and went to say something, but he cut her off with, "It ain't like I ain't used to people treating me like that. It's not it's the first time, anyways."

It didn't make Kagome feel any better. In a sort of frustrated anguish, she gritted, "Why do you still have those beads on, anyway? Naraku's dead; I don't need to control you anymore!"

_Because I can't take them off?_ InuYasha thought a little sarcastically. When she noticed her hand went to grasp the purple beads that hung over his shirt, InuYasha swiftly caught her hand. "No," he muttered and Kagome looked shocked. "They need to be left on, at least for tonight. As much as I hate the fucking things, they're useful when I turn full demon and need subduing."

Her hands dropped then and her eyes were full of suffering. Kagome said, "I'm sorry about before… how the villagers taunted you. You don't deserve it, InuYasha. I don't think of you like that."

"If they hear you sympathising with me, we'll get kicked out of here," InuYasha reminded sourly.

Kagome shrugged a little. "Maybe I don't want to stay here, if the headman is such a monster."

InuYasha sighed. "He's not a monster, Kagome – he's an asshole, sure, but he's not a monster."

Someone knocked on the shoji door than, and after scooting away from InuYasha, she opened it to reveal a nurse offering her a small plate of food. A plate holding enough for one person. One serving. Kagome frowned. "What about -," then she bit her tongue and took the tray from the nurse. "Tell your headman 'thank you'," she bit out and closed the door. Dropping the tray onto the floor, she sighed in aggravation and flicked her eyes up to InuYasha.

"Eat," he demanded.

"But-,"

"Eat, Kagome," he sighed and slouched down. "I don't need to eat that much, anyways." He tried not to think how nice the smell of rice was, and the fish and the rolls and sauce. If he was a full youkai, he'd be dry-retching at the smell of human food and at least then it would be bearable. The truth was, he was the slightest bit hungry – he had been on the toad too. He wondered if he could slip out, catch a rabbit and then slip back in. Probably not; he didn't want to cause anymore trouble for himself or Kagome. InuYasha would just have to stand it.

There were two large rice dumplings on the plate, and taking up one in her hand, Kagome gave InuYasha the other.

"Eat it. I'm not in the mood to fight; I know you're hungry," she sighed and InuYasha didn't fight her act of kindness and ate it with no qualms. He sniffed it for traces of poison, but he couldn't detect any.

Kagome ate the rest of the food while InuYasha finished off the rice ball before setting the tray outside the shoji door for collection. A futon had been made up for, again, one person, and Kagome stretched out upon it, kicking off her shoes. She would get changed into something more comfortable, but she didn't want to risk it – for one, there was no privacy screen in the room meaning she'd have to trust InuYasha to turn away, and if there was some sort of crisis, she was sure she would get some suspicious looks. Besides, if that crisis happened to be youkai, she didn't particularly fancy having to ruin her nice pyjamas because of a youkai attack.

The night wasn't cold, in fact, it was rather warm and Kagome pulled up a sheet before turning to roll over at InuYasha. "Well get up early, get the herbs and then go back home," she promised him. InuYasha only sighed and shifted himself against the wall.

"Yeah, well, go to sleep," he huffed and held his sword against his shoulder. Kagome was asleep not long after and he was always amazed at how humans exhausted their energy so easily. He could and would stay awake through the night, one, not needing to sleep as much as the human did, and two, not trusting the foreign village enough to actually fall asleep. And, as it turned out, InuYasha was glad he hadn't fallen asleep, because when the headman threw their shoji door open without so much as a knock, a look of pure fear etched over his face, InuYasha jumped to his feet.

"What's the matter?" he demanded, royally pissed off by the intrusion.

"The priestess – she needs to get up," Kagome was already rousing from the interruption. "It's terrible, a great demon is attacking the village. He's blood thirsty!"

He pulled Kagome from the futon and grabbed her quiver. "Let's go, Kagome – there's a friggin demon attacking the village."

She was still a little drowsy and mumbled, "huh?" but when he was dragging her out by the hand to the corridor, she stumbled into reality. A demon? A demon was attacking the village? The jewel still pressed against her chest, it was a relief weight. She tugged against InuYasha's hand and pulled the hanyou to a stop. The headman was ordered to stay out in the gardens where he could hide and run if the demon came around. "Do you think it would be after the jewel?"

"Probably," snorted InuYasha. "Because the kami knows there ain't nothin' better here in this rat's ass of a town."

He grabbed Kagome's waist and jumped on to the tiled roof. Setting her down, he saw the demon: a large, giant oaf kind of thing with red scaled skin and long claws. The oaf only possessed one eye and loomed over the village huts, smashing them and then eating the contents of his hand, occupants and all.

"Alright," huffed InuYasha. "This ain't gonna take long. Stay here." He leapt down then and unsheathed tesusaiaga, letting the fang transform before leaping across a few huts that remained in tact. Kagome merely stood a little awkwardly; unable to get down from the roof from where she was placed. Sitting down, she watched InuYasha battle it out with the ugly giant. It would be over soon anyway; it was big and it was sluggish and InuYasha could slay 1000 demons with one swipe.

Something tickled Kagome's shoulder then and she frowned, shifting at the slight uncomfortable and then feeling a spike from an aura. But swivelling around, it was too late as something cold was placed against her neck and she felt the jewel snap off its necklace and fall to her navel.

"Give me the jewel shard," hissed a hot voice against her ear. Before her, Kagome saw InuYasha fighting the giant; much too occupied to realise Kagome's situation. And that's when it had dawned on her. This was a trap.

"T-trap…," she rasped out.

"Smart girl," replied the headman, pressing the cold steel of the dagger into her neck. "Now give me the jewel or I'll slice your neck and then your little dog friend can lap up the blood later." He turned her and feeling the necklace cut loose, delved a hand up her shirt. Kagome screamed and wrenched when his cold, clammy hands brushed against her stomach and as they closed around the whole jewel. Removing his hand, the headman slid Kagome down the side of the roof, letting her fall with a 'thump' onto the wooden deck.

She screamed when, upon hitting the deck, Kagome hand twisted under itself and broke during the fall; her wrist suddenly jutting out and swollen. Landing on his feet, the headman placed the dagger back at Kagome's neck, pulling her head back by the hair and straddling her lower back. Grinning, he said, "And how untainted can a miko be when she wears such revealing yukata like yours, and associates herself with disgusting hanyou? This will be wholesome compared to the utter filth you've had before, youkai's whore."

Realising his intentions, Kagome tried to scramble away, but the headman's weight was too great and the dagger cut into her throat, drawing drops of blood. Suddenly, it was away, slashing into her clothing and skin, her shirt ripped away in a frenzy, slicing both the white cloth, the flesh-coloured bra and her delicate skin. She called for InuYasha; she needed him, but in the heat of battle, the sound of tortured village screams and the crackling of the fire of the burning huts, she doubt he would ever hear her.

* * *

><p>The giant's thick skin made him impervious to his attacks. Everything he threw at him, he threw right back. He tried the windscar; he tried using his claws, but there were no weaknesses on this guy. And it seemed with every home he destroyed and ingested, he became stronger – more replenished, as if the souls of the humans and the families fed his power and growth.<p>

Growling, InuYasha prepared for another attack with his sword, sensing the demonic aura's and cutting where they intertwined. It was no use though, apart from merely scratching the skin and leaving some oozing purple scratches, it was nothing the giant couldn't shrug off. Maybe if he combined his technique with Kagome's sacred arrow…

Kagome's sacred arrow! He'd forgotten about that combination. Suddenly realising the key to their success, he whirled around to where he had left the woman; on the roof of the headman's chambers with her bow and quiver and a whole set of sacred arrows.

"Where the fuck did she-," InuYasha frowned as through the smoke and haze, Kagome was no where to be seen. "Woah!" A sudden swipe of the giant's hand his sword was forced out of his grip and over into the debris small, destroyed hut. Cursing loudly and avoiding another swipe of hands tipped with claws two-hundred times bigger than his own, InuYasha ran across to retrieve tetsusiaga, clawing through the rubble when suddenly something made his blood boil.

"InuYasha!"

_Kagome_! He whirled around instantly. She was in danger; there must have been more youkai. He needed to get back with her, to help her –

A giant hand struck him from the side, throwing him into a face of a small cliff. It was enough to stun him momentarily and to think he heard someone call out his name in fear. Fear was definitely lacing their tone. Someone needed him – but whom? His hands began to shake and he realised he couldn't see very well, and that voice was just echoing inside his head. Something hit him again, harder this time and sent him into a tree – a branch skewering his shoulder. He felt the blood ooze out of his shoulder as he pulled himself off the stained branch, stumbling.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood and his sword no where to be seen, InuYasha began to see black. He began to falter and sway and his vision became blurry and his hearing was as if he was underwater. The feeling was like he was going to pass out, and then suddenly he did for a second – only to reawaken not a moment later with red dripping into his eyes, his claws and fangs elongated and full youkai blood coursing through his system.

Stepping forward, there was no limp, there was no pain from the wound to his shoulder, and he sized up the oaf as little more than a threat. His skin, so impervious to his claws as he tested out, didn't mean the beast couldn't be defeated. There was one, rather large spot of soft flesh, and that spot was looking straight at him in the form of a giant, red eye. Slicing his way through, the giant let out a scream of pain as InuYasha entered his skull via the fleshy entrance on his forehead, quickly pushing his hand in to sever the cord of nerves that connected his brain and body. As the large beast fell, paralysed to die, InuYasha leapt off, shaking a handful of eye jelly off his claw and wiping the residue on his hakama.

Sniffing the air, he didn't smell much – the smell of burning bodies, death, blood and fire. Then why did this name – his name, echo around his head – called by some woman he didn't recognise?

Curious, he turned and saw what must have been the richest house in the village and walked towards that. It seemed to remain unharmed, it was in good condition and as he walked through the breezeway to the courtyard, he suddenly smelt something.

Blood. Human blood.

And a lot of it.

"Please, no don't, please no! Get away from me, InuYasha! InuYasha!"

His attention spiked at his name – someone around here knew him, and needed his help. He must have been an ally, this person. Sniffing out the source of the blood, he came across a confusing scene.

A young woman was injured; her shoulders were all cut and her neck was sliced slightly and she didn't have any clothes on – save for a pair of black fundoshi-like clothing and looked at him with wide eyes. She seemed happy to see him and called his name again, crying and reaching out. For a moment he stood and looked at the man straddling her stomach; his greasy black hair pushed back and blood stains over his fingers which twisted around an equally bloodied knife.

"Dirty rotten hanyou," he gritted and then regarded the girl. "Say the subjugation spell or I'll slit your throat right now."

"I'd rather you slit my throat!" cried the girl and as the dagger came down to run across the flesh of Kagome's throat, InuYasha had seen enough.

His claw went through the man's chest, and he found satisfaction in feeling the beating heart still in his hands before he wrenched it out and threw it into the garden. Kicking the man off the young woman's body, he peered down at her, still a little confused.

The first thing she noticed was his red eyes and the blue marking streaked across his cheeks. "Did you lose your sword?" she asked softly, and casually, using a hand to cover the top half of her body, scooting across the blood smeared deck to lean against a wall.

InuYasha walked up to the woman, sniffing her. He could see she was injured quite a lot – cuts and scrapes and she'd lost the ability to move her right hand. All he could smell was the human on her; his sweat among other things and it was disgusting. Who was this woman to him? How did she know him and why had she called out his name?

InuYasha sniffed a little more intently, sifting through the layers of scents that coated her – the headman, fabric of a futon, flowers and sunshine… and then, himself. Himself lingering on the most essential parts of her – she practically stunk of him: on her thighs, and her neck and her shoulders and her hands; even in the ends of her hair.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" she asked softly, her beautiful eyes falling to the side.

He frowned and sniffed again. She was covered in his scent, and she knew him, and she was attractive and of the right age and so he formulated and decided on the most logical answer. Mate. This woman was his mate, though had never been mated – his scent lingered on her skin, her clothes (what was left of them), her hair. This had to be his mate – and perhaps he had not gotten around to mating with her yet? He knew she thought of him also as her desired mate: why would she have his scent on him, so lingering she had to have been spending a lot of time with him. She was touching his forearm gently; physical contact showed she wasn't scared of him. He knew who this woman was: she was his mate.

Kagome's hand slipped over her breasts to give her some sort of modesty. She was seeping blood from the dagger slicing her skin and it was stinging. InuYasha for a long while just observed Kagome and she did nothing. His eyes were the most piercing red, like they were bleeding and his irises were the colour of a clear day, like the stripes that darted across his cheeks. Elongated fangs peeked over his lips, and he smelt rather gastly. Eventually, after a long, long time of doing nothing, InuYasha grunted to himself and began to remove his haori.

He slipped it over Kagome's shoulders and fastened it before helping her to her feet. She seemed a little hesitant, which she didn't understand. The entire scene stunk of arousal, blood and fear – his mate's fear. Someone had tried to defile her; to take her from him and he was glad his corpse lay in the courtyard. His mate was still scared; still shaken and naked – he'd offered his haori in comfort as she began to cry. Those wounds needed looking at and sniffing, over the smell of fire and decay; there was a small creek perhaps five or seven minutes away. Gently, he gathered up his scared mate, who tensed a little and he realised she must have been in a lot of pain.

InuYasha found a small, clean body of water and sat his mate next to the bank, slowly slipping the haori off her shoulders. Slowly, he cleaned her, ripping long, cotton strips from his _kosode_ and dipped them in the water. The cuts must have been hurting her; they must have stung and he knew they would take longer to heal than his shoulder. When his mate began to cry, he felt sorrow but could do nothing to take her tears away but keep working. Softly, InuYasha nuzzled his nose against her cheek, wiping away the tears because he was scared his claws would mark her cheeks. How and why had he ever chosen a mate that was so delicate?

He reached back when suddenly he heard her gut gurgle and Kagome lurch forward, depositing that nights dinner in a bush not too far away. By the way she smelt of the deadman, he could understand as she crept back, crying into her knees. InuYasha, ignoring the scents assaulting his nose, stumbled forward to urge Kagome to the water.

_Mate should not be scared – she is with me now, her mate._ She was crying still, and he wasn't calming her down. She was traumatised and still rather scared. InuYasha frowned and couldn't understand why. He grunted and pulled away a little, so much so that he looked into his mate's wet eyes. Curling his claws into his palms, InuYasha frowned and brushed the back of his knuckles against her flushed cheek. "Don't – Don't be scared," he rasped out, not recognising his voice.

InuYasha spoke suddenly, just a simple phrase and Kagome's eyes widened in shock. He had just said something! He had spoke in a form that he was reduced to bloodlust; not taking the time to wonder if that was possibly a good or bad thing, she uttered, "Do you know who I am?"

How did he not know who she was? She was his mate. InuYasha nodded once and his mate seemed to relax. He pressed the cleansing cloth back to her wounds and Kagome stopped weeping. He washed her gently for both his comfort and hers: the less she smelt like the headman and vomit, and felt a little cleaner. He offered water through his hands for Kagome to wash her mouth out with. Wiping her cuts and deeming they were properly cleaned, he ripped the rest of his _kosode_ to serve as makeshift bandages before wrapping her body back into the haori, wanting to reaffirm his scent when mating with her was out of the question. That would make her more traumatised, not less.

When InuYasha stood up next, Kagome assumed he was going to take her somewhere else. Instead, he fumbled with the ties of his hakama and slipped them down, along with his fundoshi and stepped into the water. Kagome averted her gaze to the ground and took the time to study her injured hand as InuYasha cleaned his injuries and washed off the oaf and headman's stench. Not perhaps a minute or two, InuYasha waded into the shallows, shaking off the residue water like a dog and got dressed again.

Kagome was studying her swollen hand, and by the fleeting pain that dashed across her face, he knew it was hurting her. Delicately taking it up his hands, he heard Kagome say something, but didn't register hearing that she thought her hand wasn't broken. He assessed it with his eyes, turning it gently in his palm. It wasn't broken, but it was very sore. _It must be painful for mate_. Gently, he sat it back down in her lap before gathering up his mate and deciding she needed somewhere to rest.

* * *

><p>It seemed that Kagome needed a lot more rest than he had anticipated, as in the trip to find somewhere suitable, she drifted off to sleep. It was probably the idea of being safe and warm and the way InuYasha didn't jump so high and jaggedly; staying low to the forest floor as he negotiated around it. Finding a suitable cove which delved into a deep cave, the demon assessed its safety before setting Kagome down and gathered some reeds, digging out a small inlet by a wall. Making a bed softened by reeds, he laid Kagome down gently, tucking the haori more firmly around her body before finding some drywood and making a fire. The cave was draft and cold and his mate needed warmth – the haori would not be enough for her thin skin and delicate body. He wondered what had possessed him to take a mate like her – would she even be strong enough to rear pups? InuYasha didn't know, but there was something about her – she was a priestess; she could have purified him on the spot, just as he could have gutted her in a mere second, and yet she hadn't. This woman was his mate, and he would look after her. <em>Mate looks peaceful sleeping. She needs rest to heal.<em>

And at this moment, his mate needed some food. He was ghastly hungry himself and so went hunting in small radius to where his mate was sleeping. He managed to find a few fish in the stream, which was easier to catch. He scaled and gutted them and brought them back to roast over the fire. His mate was still sleeping comfortably on the bed he'd constructed for her, and eating his own fish; he crawled over to her and gently shook her awake.

Kagome slept peacefully and when she felt she was being gently shook awake, she groaned a little and stretched, feeling weirdly painful. What? Why was she sore for? Wasn't InuYasha just rousing her for an early morning start? She yawned and cracked her eyes open, smelling the delicious scent of cooked fish and feeling her stomach rumble in appreciation. Sitting up, she wondered why her hand hurt and why there was a soothing damp cloth wrapped around it a little roughly. InuYasha was only in his hakama and was crouching down by the fire. She smiled and called for him and the man turned around and only then did she remember what had transpired, taking in a gasp of surprise when she saw his crimson eyes.

_Eat. Mate needs food_. InuYasha offered Kagome the fish and she took it gratefully, eating the sizeable portion until she was full. Then, the miko regarded InuYasha. He was still very much transformed and it was getting harder and harder to change him back. Plus, his sword was probably back at the village – they would have to retrieve it by daybreak. Then, InuYasha delved into the pocket of his hakama and his claws enclosed around something. Grunting he thrust his hand into Kagome's and dropped a small, purple orb into her palm.

"The sacred jewel!" Kagome gaped – the man had sliced it off her neck on the deck. InuYasha had it all this time? Did he know what it was? What it could do? Then she shook her head, "Thank you, InuYasha," she smiled and the demon smiled back at her. Slowly, Kagome raised a hand up to stroke his cheek, keeping the haori fastened to her chest and rubbed InuYasha's cheek, running her fingertips up and down the stripes that blazoned across his cheek bones. Surprisingly, he leant into her touch, shuffling onto the bedding beside her.

"Do you understand me?" she asked softly as InuYasha leant against the cool stone wall besides Kagome. He was slow to respond, but nodded once. "Do you know who I am?"

He nodded again.

"Who?" she demanded; needing to know at least some sense of recognition. "What is my name?"

He seemed confused at that statement, and in honesty, he had forgotten her name. For a while, InuYasha said nothing, but then, slowly, he leant in to nuzzle her cheek with his own and gathered her up gently in his arms. "Mate," he whispered against the shell of her ear.

"Mate?" Kagome repeated, not being able to hide the shock in her voice. InuYasha pulled back, confused and suddenly, Kagome realised it would not be wise to tell the very dangerous demon InuYasha that he had been mistaken and that she, a stranger to him in this state, was not his mate; was not someone to unconditionally trust. Kagome smiled and nodded and this seemed to reassure the demon. "Mate," she whispered and tenderly traced her fingers down his cheeks, over his jaw and across his throat. InuYasha grunted at this and manoeuvred Kagome so that she was suddenly straddling his hips.

Squeaking at the suddenly compromising pose, Kagome watched as InuYasha leant forward and brushed the hair from her neck and began to press delicate kisses against her flesh, rumbling softly in the back of his throat. His claws lingered on her hips, always mindful of the sharpness of the tips. Under the haori, Kagome only wore her underwear, though the makeshift bandages of InuYasha's _kosode_ wrapped around her breasts, offering some sort of modesty. The demon breathed in deeply at the junction of Kagome's neck and shoulder before suckling the flesh hard. Kagome squeaked at the sudden feeling, shuddering with a new found pleasure as InuYasha's claws moved to her back, pressing her body against his in a head-spinning way.

_Oh no…_ Kagome cringed as she knew he'd be able to smell the reaction, and it seemed he was responding to it. _He'd never forgive himself in the morning if he smelt that we… we… I can't let him do this. Come on, Kagome, think of a way out of this!_

Suddenly, she didn't have to, when a claw on his back suddenly brushed over a fresh wound, she buckled and cried out in pain and InuYasha jumped. Instantly, he was apologising in his own sort of way for injuring his mate – he hadn't meant to, he was trying to be careful! His mate seemed to understand and smiled at him as he laid her down, peeling her body out of the haori only to drape it over both their bodies.

He rumbled gently in the back of his throat and used his knuckles to brush stray strands of hair from her face. Kagome smiled, and, in complete awe of how gentle he was in his demon form, dipped her head slightly and pressed her lips against his for a moment, before pulling away.

For a moment, the miko didn't know if it was the right thing to do; InuYasha looked so surprised, like he couldn't take it all in. She was supposed to be his mate, wasn't she? Kagome thought she should at least act the part, but InuYasha looked as if he didn't know what was happening. _Like the first time I kissed him_, Kagome hummed gloomily.

Slowly, the demon seemed to relax and Kagome smiled, knowing the kiss hadn't fazed him that much. But InuYasha was warm and comforting and the slight rumbling in his chest was sending her to sleep. When his rough voice rasped out, "Sleep," she didn't have any qualms about doing as he said. He hadn't killed her yet, nor had he forced himself upon her, so she at least had some fundamental idea of trust to base her sleeping upon. InuYasha lied rather still, just contented to know that his scent was back on the skin of his mate; she was his once again and that soothed him. Sooner than later, Kagome had dozed off in the arms of a strangely gentle full demon; protected in a damp cave overlooking a burning village.

* * *

><p>InuYasha awoke to a throbbing shoulder and quickly remembered the fight with the giant demon in the village. He must have been injured, and Kagome's scent was wrapped around him like a tight, comforting embrace so she must have been alright, which was a relief. But, sniffed – they weren't at the village; there was the scent of a campfire, his blood, fish, and then something else… Kagome's blood.<p>

Kagome's blood, he gaped suddenly and looked down to the woman sleeping in his arms. What had happened – where was his sword?

"N-no…," his breath hitched in his throat and quickly he nudged Kagome, needing to see if she was still breathing. Rolling the miko onto her back, his eyes dropped to her rising and falling chest, and then to the way her brows pursed when her sleep was disturbed. She was alright, InuYasha sighed, but the priestess was virtually naked. They had not mated; she still smelt like a virgin but where were her clothes? Her little school uniform? She was covered in strips of his kosode, some speckled in blood with others rather stained. What had happened? Somewhere, something nagged at the back of his mind that he knew what indeed, had transpired: that he'd transformed into a full demon, but until it tumbled from Kagome's lips, he wouldn't believe it.

Getting up, he stoked the fire and sat beside it, his head in his hands. She reeked of blood, and so did his claws. There were different kinds of blood on his hands – some youkai, some humans, and one that was definitely Kagome's. What had he done to her? At least, he sighed and turned back to her barely clothed form, at least he hadn't forced himself upon her. That was unforgivable.

_Not like filleting her isn't_, InuYasha reminded himself sourly. _Fuck, can I have anything at all without completely destroying it? She trusted me and I fucked it up. Again._

"You're back," she smiled softly, like a lover waking up from a peaceful sleep. Her hand rubbed his but it was quickly recoiled away.

"What happened?" he demanded harshly, stalking over to the reed bed where she lay. InuYasha flinched when he saw the look of self-loathing flit across Kagome's features. He forced himself to lower his tone, and then, InuYasha asked gently, "Kagome, what happened, please tell me."

"You transformed," she whispered.

InuYasha shook his head. No! How could he have lost control like that? "I hurt you!" he cried. "Why didn't you run? Why didn't you tell me to sit; tell me to sit my ass to hell fuck, if it would at least be better than filleting you like I did?"

Kagome frowned and looked down at her roughly bandaged chest. "You think you did this?"

"Who the fuck else would have?" he snarled and stalked towards the entrance of the cave. "I don't have tesusaiaga, alright; I know what happened!"

"No," Kagome whispered from the reed bed. "No you don't know what happened, InuYasha. Please listen to me."

He didn't reply, but he didn't make an effort to leave either, which was a good thing. As Kagome began to speak, his ears swivelled around to face her.

"It's true, you did transform, that's why you don't remember anything. What do you remember from, and I'll fill you in from there…"

InuYasha grunted. "I remember bein' humiliated in the courtyard, I remember a demon attacked the village and I left you at the headman's quarters where it would be safe. I remember the asshole demon had skin thick enough to resist the windscar and then, nothing…" He fell by the fire, poking the embers with a small stick. His head swivelled a little and he regarded Kagome with now topaz eyes.

Sucking in a deep breath, Kagome replied, "I don't know how you killed the demon, but you lost tesuisaga somehow, and well, transformed." She saw him grimace. "I waited on the rooftop, and then suddenly someone came up to me, I felt something cold at my throat and I realised it was a _katana_." Kagome untied the piece of kosode at her neck to reveal the small but long slice across her neck, barely enough to scar but enough to bleed and scare InuYasha shitless. "It was a trap."

"Holy fuck," he muttered and crawled over to the reed bed. "Are you fucking okay, Kagome?"

"Thanks to you," she smiled honestly. A claw ran over the scabbing slice. He smelt it; her wound smelt like fresh water and clean blood. Then he noticed the other bandages over her body and frowned, "What are these?"

Kagome shook her head. "It was all a trap," she muttered. "It was the headman, he was after the jewel – the youkai and the headman were working together. One was to distract you, the other killed me and stole the jewel."

InuYasha growled. "What are these wounds from, Kagome?"

The miko bit her lip and her eyes grew wetter as she replayed the memory. "He got the jewel, but wanted more. The cuts are from where he sliced off my clothes and his katana cut into my skin in the process."

InuYasha saw red, "What the _fuck_?" he snapped and sniffed her over. There was still a lingering smell of her purity, however, and that was the only fact InuYasha found comfort in. Kagome began to cry softly and then the hanyou knew he'd made a mistake. "Sorry," he murmured, gently gathering the woman up into his arms. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's not your fault." The back of his knuckles wiped a tear away. "Where did he touch you?"

Kagome swallowed a lump. "Everywhere… I'm sorry."

"You got nothin' to be sorry for," he insisted. "You don't gotta tell me what happened next, just so long as I never hurt you. I… I couldn't stand it. I smelt your blood on my claws and I, well, hell, what was I supposed to think?"

Kagome nodded, understanding completely. "You killed the headman… I called for you and you came to my rescue."

"I did?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I was scared for a moment; I didn't know what you were going to do… I had no clothes on, no weapons, you could have easily," she shook her head, "but you didn't. You gave me your haori and took me, cleaned all the cuts and washed the blood off of you." She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. "I fell asleep and woke up on a bed you'd made – this bed and you gave me food."

"I didn't _hurt_ you?"

"Not once," she smiled. "You took care of me."

InuYasha swallowed deeply. "Did… Did I know who you were?"

Kagome blushed a little at that. "Well… you said you did, but you couldn't remember my name. I think you were a little confused why I smelt like you so much. You called me your… um… you called me your _mate_."

Kagome expected a shocked, kind of choked reply, but slowly InuYasha smirked and said, "Better to call you 'mate' than 'prey' though, huh?"

The miko smiled awkwardly. "Yeah… I suppose it was. You were very careful with your claws though."

He grinned and adjusted Kagome in his grip, taking in the scent of her hair. "Are you sore at all?"

"A little," she replied. "But nothing uncomfortable. I think I need my hand looked at though; I fell of the roof onto the deck."

InuYasha gathered up the wrapped hand and sliced off the old kosode. It would be a pain acquiring a new one, but it was worth it. Kagome's hand was swollen and a little red, but it didn't look broken. "I think it just might be a little sprained. Can you move your fingers?" she could, just the slightest without pain. "It's not broken," he sighed and placed it back into Kagome's lap. "I can take you to the well and you can get it treated by your time?"

"Maybe later," Kagome sighed. "We need to get your sword back. What will Kaede say when we tell her about the village trap? Do you think they'd been planning it all along?"

InuYasha shook his head. "The headman's youkai probably sensed the jewel shard on the way. It was probably a forest youkai that owned the forest around the village. Had it been normal people, maybe a priestess without a sacred jewel, but heh, we're not really normal people. Where is that bastard jewel anyway?"

Kagome smiled. "You picked it up on the way out of the village without me realising it. I didn't think of it until you placed it in my hands – I don't think you knew what it was, really, but that I was a priestess and it was purified."

InuYasha nodded and slumped by Kagome's side. He picked up his haori and draped it over her shoulders, brushing the hair from her shoulders in an affectionate manner. "I should go get my sword," he muttered. "But I don't know how far the village is from this cave… I-I don't wanna leave you here unprotected."

Kagome smiled and yawned, curling back down onto the reeds. "We need to get back to the village, but it's still early – the sun is barely up. I'm going back to sleep." And with that, she curled back down onto the reeds. InuYasha remained resting on the cold wall, watching the flames fall into the embers. He really hadn't hurt Kagome – at least he was relieved. In fact, he was a more than a little relieved knowing that he hadn't hurt her in his full-demon form – that he'd registered she was his mate and that she needed looking after. It was better than, well, having his way with her and then filleting her body, only to wake up and find her corpse.

_But I didn't…_ he breathed out slowly. _I didn't kill her… I didn't even touch her._ He sighed and managed to relax himself. Though he was a little adgitated he didn't have his sword, and the idea of his brother casually wandering over and picking it up irked him a bit, but rousing Kagome just to go and fetch it wouldn't be fair to her. Sucking up his pride, he allowed Kagome to snooze – she deserved it, having to put up with him, full demon and all. Sighing, InuYasha closed his eyes. In a few hours, they'd go down to the village and then inspect the damage…

* * *

><p>I'll adding another few chapters to this little story, so it's not a one-shot, and if it was, it'd be a pretty crappy way to end the story. Stay tuned, and please take the time to review!<p>

**~ Arlia'Devi**


	2. Part 2

**The Greater Instinct**

By Arlia'Devi

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha at all. All rights go to Rumiko Takahashi and associates. I make no money from this.

A/N: this story is rated **M** and contains high blood, violence, sexual themes and language.

This story is set somewhat A/U – the jewel never sent Kagome home, and the well works just as it normally does. Kagome is free to travel between the feudal era and the modern world. At the moment they're trying to decide what the 'right' wish is.

**The Greater Instinct**

**Part 2**

By Arlia'Devi

Kagome woke up around an hour and a half later when she smelt the fragrant aroma of grilled fish fill the small cavern they'd taken up refuge in. Shaking away her grogginess, she found InuYasha sitting by the campfire leering over three fish he'd caught and gutted, which were now cooking away over the fire.

For a moment, InuYasha either didn't hear Kagome's rouse, or didn't acknowledge it, but Kagome saw from where his white kosode clung to his back and the dripping ends of his long hair that he'd gone for another wash in the stream.

"InuYasha?" she called gently once she'd fastened his fire-rat haori firmly across her body.

He turned to her slowly. "Oh, hey," he said softly, though his eyes met the floor of the cavern. Then he looked back to the fish. "Hungry?"

"Yeah," Kagome replied, inching towards InuYasha. He handed her a fish on a stick, his eyes focused on the fire.

_I guess he doesn't want to look at me right now_… Kagome sighed and took a bite of the fish, careful of the small bones.

"We're going down to the village to get our stuff, then we're going home," he grumbled suddenly.

"I have a change of clothes in my bag!" Kagome said.

"Yeah," InuYasha replied. "And my sword is still down at the village as well. I suppose we should inspect the damage."

Kagome wanted to add, 'and get those herbs' but she knew InuYasha was in a foul mood and didn't want to push it. Wordlessly she finished the fish while InuYasha banked the fire. She looked down at his haori that was wrapped around her front. The fire rat robe had been slashed and damaged last night, but it was all but repaired now. There were no stains of their blood; it looked just like when Mama had taken it out of the dryer, all fresh and clean.

"How is your shoulder, InuYasha?" Kagome asked as InuYasha stood up, stretching his back.

"Huh?" he grunted. "Nothin' is wrong with my shoulder."

"It was bleeding last night. It looked pretty nasty..," she dropped her eyes. "I wanted to take a look at it, but…"

"Feh," InuYasha walked out onto the small rock lip at the entrance, bathed in the mid-morning sun. "It's nothing. You know my body heals just fine. It's not even sore."

_So it's back to this InuYasha huh?_ Kagome sighed, knowing she'd have to do something to get him out of this self-righteous state. "Well I am," she said, standing up. InuYasha turned for her. "I'd appreciate a ride down to the village. I'm too sore to walk."

"Oh," InuYasha's eyes dropped and his face grew solemn. "Sure, Kagome. Hop on. I won't be too rough, promise."

Kagome climbed onto his back and thanked that her legs weren't all that sore – it was mainly around the ribs and shoulder area, so she could use her legs to counteract the jolts from running as to not put too much of a strain on her arms.

"I'm seriously gonna doubt it's a warm welcome," InuYasha said lowly as they moved swiftly though the trees. "Let's get what we need and get outta there, quick. Hopefully we'll make it back to Edo by this afternoon."

"Can we go to the well when we get back? I need a good bath, maybe a doctor to look at this hand," Kagome sighed and rested her cheek against InuYasha's shoulder blade.

"Huh? Um, yeah sure." InuYasha dodged a tree and skidded out into a clearing. Sniffing the air, there were still clear traces of ash and blood – youkai blood, probably from the giant oni. The rest of the night, unfortunately, was a bit of a blur. InuYasha followed the scent of the trail back to the village.

They rounded the side where the headman's manor was, deeming it the best stop to attend to first – it had Kagome's bag, her quiver and bow and they didn't want to rush retrieving it if the villagers did turn on them.

Landing in the all too familiar courtyard, it was dead silent. The air smelt of blood and death, and InuYasha saw the ghastly body of the headman lying on the deck. Kagome buried her head into his shoulder as he leapt over him, depositing her inside the room they'd rested in last night – all of her belongings remained untouched.

"I'm going to go bury him, stop him stinking up the place," InuYasha grunted. Kagome nodded once and the hanyou slid the shoji door close. Through the rice paper, she saw InuYasha's silouhette bend down before the sound of a body dragging along the wooden deck rang in her ears. Deftly, she fumbled for the fastener on her bag, pulling out a clean set of her standard uniform.

InuYasha located the heart of the headman amongst a bed of flowers, resting gently under a peony. It had turned a sickly purple colour and the soil beneath was caked together with blood.

Taking the headman out into the forest, he dug a shallow grave for the man before covering him. Eager to get to Kagome and his sword, he was relieved when he came back, she was standing on the deck dressed with her bow and quiver over her shoulder. InuYasha picked up her bag.

"Let's get moving," he said and the two walked out of the manor and into the village.

InuYasha sniffed the air. "We'll have to move the oni's body – otherwise scavenger demons will cause more hassle than help to the village."

Kagome nodded and braved herself when they entered the village.

When the two entered the village, InuYasha noted the damage – many huts had been burnt and singed in the fire, the oni's body was rotting, sending a horrible stench in the air that would grow more toxic as the days went by. A few low-level demons were feeding on the flesh. InuYasha looked to Kagome, who was scanning the villagers that stood reserved, holding their young ones too them.

"Miko," a voice suddenly called and InuYasha and Kagome swirled around. A small lady stood there, not any younger than Kaede would have been, but smaller and thinner. She wore miko robes. "You are the miko from Edo, am I correct?"

"Y-yes," Kagome nodded. "I am – how did you know? Who are you?"

"Cho-sama," a village woman implored, running up to the old miko. "Please, don't!"

"Are you a black miko?" Cho asked, eyeing the hanyou by her side. "Is this your inugami? I've heard a miko from Edo has a dog demon to protect her, I assume this is you."

Kagome shook her head. "Y-yes… but I am not a black miko… InuYasha," she looked to her companion, but he did not seem impressed. "He protects me. We came here from Edo to gather herbs for Kaede-oba-chan."

"Kaede?" Cho frowned. "She is still alive?" the older miko laughed. "Come child, I will get you those herbs. A letter was sent a few days ago to make news of your coming. I, however, did not think you would cause quite a ruckus." Then Cho frowned. "Please accept our apologies, miko-sama, we had no idea the headman was in alliegance with the demons…" she shook her head. "Ever since his father died, I'm afraid he just got darker and darker."

InuYasha snorted. "I'm gonna go find my sword and take care of this pain in the arse," he grunted to Kagome. "Meet me by the oni when you're done."

Kagome nodded and walked off with Cho.

"Right," InuYasha huffed and turned back to the giant oni. "Time to find the sword."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, InuYasha had located his sword and it was resting in its sheath, hanging off his hip. It was soothing to have his father's fang by his side, when he was without it he was naturally agitated, he felt like he was walking on a tight rope of control.<p>

He began carving up the oni, piece by piece before taking a sizable chunk deep into the forest for other youkai to feed on. It's rotting scent would turn toxic eventually, and he'd have Kagome purify the spot where the oni lie before they left. It was getting into the afternoon. InuYasha sighed and kicked a stone on the path. They wouldn't get back in time.

"InuYasha!" Kagome called and the hanyou turned his head to see the approach of both the mikos, Kagome and Cho.

Putting his hand on his hips, he waited for them to approach before saying, "Are you ready to go yet, it's getting late – we need to get back."

"Yes yes," Kagome replied, running over to where her backpack lie by the tree and putting cuttings in the pockets. "We can't just leave without getting what we actually came for. So do you want me to purify the area."

"If you could, miko," Cho replied. "It will be less stress on me – you're quite powerful, and it will deter other demons from attacking the village to get to the carcass. Your friend has taken care of that."

Kagome nodded and pressed her hands to the blood stained earth. She concentrated to purify the demonic aura. Beside her, InuYasha's youki flared in response, caressing her reiki. It was a natural response that made InuYasha tense up, but the sooner Kagome lowered her powers, he felt his youki crawl back into the pit of his stomach and he was calm again.

"Done," Kagome smiled and brushed her hands of the dirt.

"Thank you, miko. You should be on your way now," Cho smiled.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble we caused," Kagome said, going to retrieve her backpack. "To think all this damage for just a few sprigs."

Cho looked around at where some of the village men were burying the bodies of the deceased. Many buildings needed repairing, they hung in shambles dotted across the village area. "No matter, child," Cho replied. "We will rebuild. I knew there was something the matter with the headman – we were only glad to find out sooner than later."

Kagome bit her lip and InuYasha approached her. "Time to go," he said. She nodded.

"I just feel so horrible," Kagome sighed. "If it wasn't for the sacred jewel, none of this would have happened. Grandpa said the sacred jewel was wished out of existence – but what if I don't know the right wish, InuYasha? What if this cycle just keeps repeating?"

InuYasha turned to his companion. "You'll make the right wish. You'll figure it out."

Kagome sighed, knowing her hanyou friend couldn't help really. Instead, she decided on getting out some lunch. "Cho gave me a few rice cakes for lunch – feel like stopping?"

"We just started walking, Kagome," InuYasha sighed. He was hungry, so sat down on a rock on the side of the road. "Honestly, I was eager to get out of that shit hole of a village."

"The air was so constricting," Kagome agreed. "Even when I'd purified the area, it just felt so… depressing."

InuYasha took a rice ball and shrugged. "Some places are just like that."

Kagome sighed. "I just wished there was something more we could have done for them… I mean, they didn't ask for any of it. People died and houses were destroyed. It will take them months to recover."

"You heard what they said," InuYasha replied, getting up and dusting down his hakama after finishing lunch. "They knew something was off with the headman – they just didn't know what."

"I suppose," Kagome sighed and tossed the remains of her rice cake to the small birds. InuYasha was eager to keep moving with Kagome's backpack swung over his shoulder.

As they walked, Kagome couldn't stop thinking. It was tedious, but her brain would not stop thinking – she thought talking it over with InuYasha would help, but she just kept thinking about it. Kagome thought about the village, about how suffocating it was staying there, about Cho, the headman, and then she thought about last night and looked to InuYasha. The hanyou caught her eyes and said, "What?"

"Oh," Kagome dropped her eyes. "I was just thinking about last night, is all."

"Oh," InuYasha pursed his lips. "I see."

Kagome sighed. "I just want you to know you didn't do anything wrong last night… You were very kind to me."

He shook his head. "I hate… I hate it. I can't believe I wanted to become that for so long…"

"You should be happy you can experience it temporarily, InuYasha, instead of being stuck like it forever."

"Huh, and you would know the jewel, I would ask for it, and it would give it to me – there is nothing good about that thing," he grumbled. "I'll be happy when it's gone."

_So many lives have been destroyed because of this jewel_, Kagome sighed. _What about mine? Ours?_

"We're not going to make it back to Edo in time – I smell hot springs around half-an-hour walk from here. We'll stop there for the night." InuYasha announced.

"Hot springs," Kagome smiled. Well, if they weren't going to get back in time for a bath, then a hot spring was the next best thing.

They walked for the next twenty minutes along the dirt walking path before heading into the foliage that lined the paths. "Come on," he ushered Kagome through, holding a branch from her face as she crept through.

Another ten minutes later, InuYasha found a small clearing underneath a tall tree, the hot springs only a minute or so walk. Kagome had gone to bathe while InuYasha started collecting wood for the fire. He made sure to stay close incase he needed her, but Kagome came back freshly washed and dressed fifteen minutes later unscathed. She began working on the fire, using the lighter to ignite a flame.

"Ramen?" he asked hopefully, not particularly wanting to go hunting.

"Huh, sure," Kagome replied, digging through her backpack for their small billie pot and handing it to InuYasha. "Just grab some water."

The hanyou filled the billie up and placed it on the embers of the fire as Kagome got the ramen cups ready, seasoning them with their tiny little packages. She poured the hot water over them, a technique InuYasha had memorised by now. Even he could make ramen. It wasn't that hard.

"Dig in," Kagome said, handing him a cup of noodles. It was dark now, and the air became a little biting.

"Thanks," InuYasha replied, taking the cup and doing as his companion said. Soon, dinner was over and Kagome sighed, taking out her bedding and rolling it out.

"How are you feeling?" InuYasha asked from where he rested at the base of the tree. The fire created shadows, his eyes were hidden underneath his bangs making him look rather frightening.

"Better," she replied. "Still sore – I think I will be for quite a few days."

"And your hand?" he asked.

Kagome moved her fingers. "Better, but I'm glad I didn't have to use my bow today. My knuckles are bruising over."

"You can get someone to look at it tomorrow."

Kagome nodded and sighed. "I wonder if that woman has had her child yet. I hope she's alright."

InuYasha rolled his eyes. Typical Kagome – not caring for herself, only worried about anyone else. Of course she had almost been killed last night, numerous times, dancing from dangerous arms to dangerous arms yet she was still concerned with something that shouldn't concern her. InuYasha shook his head. That girl was a mystery.

"You should get some rest," he said. "I'll wake you up early."

"Don't you always," she murmured, slipping into the sleeping bag.

For a long time, nothing was said between the two of them. InuYasha watched the fire. He watched the logs spit and burn as the flames licked their sides. He saw the embers glow red-hot, and watched the flames climb high.

"InuYasha," Kagome said. Her voice was not drowsy at all.

"Feh, wench, I thought you'd fallen asleep – why you still awake?" he growled out, narrowing his eyes across the fire. Kagome sat up, resting her weight on her good hand.

"I can't stop thinking."

"You think too much," he replied with a grunt. "Just stop and go to sleep."

"I can't," she replied, shaking her head. "Every time I'm almost asleep… I just start thinking of last night again."

InuYasha's ears dropped in shame. "Oh," he murmured. "Sorry."

"It's alright," she replied. "It's not you who scares me."

_It should_, he wanted to reply. Did she really think he wasn't as dangerous as some human? "Kagome," he said levelly. "I could have killed you in a second. No one was there to protect you."

"You must have thought I was so scared," she said and saw him nod. "But I wasn't. I mean, I knew you had changed into full demon. I knew what you could do, but I always hoped you'd know who I was…" she smiled across the fire at him.

InuYasha nodded. "Kagome," he cleared his throat and uncrossed his arms. "Come 'ere. Bring your stupid cocoon."

Kagome stood up and brought her sleeping bag over to InuYasha. He opened his arms to her, and Kagome slowly sunk into his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. He felt so warm and comfortable, it was almost enough for Kagome to fall asleep.

"Here," she said, unzipping her sleeping bag all the way so it resembled a sort of plush doona.

"Warm," he murmured against her hair as the sleeping bag was spread over them.

"Hey." InuYasha felt Kagome touch the skin of his nape, brushing over a small necklace. "You still wear this?" she asked, refering to the friendship locket she'd given him. "It was such a long time ago now..."

"Of course I still wear it," he replied. "I didn't expect it to last this long - the chain's flimsy, I thought I would'a lost it." She nodded, understanding.

"InuYasha," Kagome murmured into his shoulder, turning to look up at him. He looked down, "… last night you told me I was your mate." She felt him shift uncomfortably. "I kissed you. I'm sorry."

InuYasha shook his head. "Huh? What'cha sorry for? You did what you had'ta do?"

She shook her head. "Not really. It… it just felt nice. I just… well, I don't know what's going to happen now. I suppose, I want you to know how I feel…"

InuYasha shrugged. "How do you feel?"

"Everything is so different now," she sighed, wishing now she hadn't brought the whole thing up. "I am scared, I don't know what's going to happen next. I don't want to lose you… You know you're my best friend, don't you?"

He nodded. "I feel the same way about you."

"I feel so foolish," Kagome sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Feh, wench, don't be so stupid," he swallowed thickly. "You mean all that? Really?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"I been feelin' the same way. It's like the jewel, I don't know what's going to happen to you –to us. That whole shit with Naraku, I almost killed you then and it was enough for me to recognise you then. I don't know what it means; I just know I'm turning more than I want – way too frequently. And I don't know what's gonna happen with you, I just know I don't wanna lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere if I can help it," Kagome smiled back, nuzzling the warm shoulder of InuYasha. "It's been a while since we've been alone – like really alone, without Shippou."

InuYasha nodded. "Almost a year. It was hard when we first began wasn't it?"

"It was hard all through the year," Kagome sighed. "For different reasons."

InuYasha said very little then. "I don't want to lose you," he said after a while, his voice but a shallow whisper. "Like I did her. Kagome…," he murmured gently and she looked up at him.

"Yes, InuYasha?"

His hand cupped her cheek gently, a thumb running over a small scratch on the cheek bone. Tenderly, he said, "Be mine," before covering his mouth with hers.

* * *

><p>Sorry for the uber long time between updates – I was so, so stumped as to where this was going, but after a few months of figuring it out and re-watching the anime, there's some sort of thing that resembles a plot going on. Not that it will be long, maybe another two chapters.<p>

Thanks to all those people who took the time to review the last chapter! I was amazed how it was received, so thanks guys and please take the time to leave a quick review before you go!

Until next time,

**~ Arlia'Devi**


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